Coin-controlled vending apparatus



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(No Model.)

W. LANG. GOIN GONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS. 366.

Patented July 1, 1890.

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W. LANG.

G01N GONTROLLED VENDING APPARATUS.

No. 431.366. Patented July l, 1890.

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(No Model.)

VW. LANG. G01N GUNTROLLE-D VENDING APPARATUS.

Patented July 1, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NVILLIAM LANG, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

COIN-CONTROLLED VEN DING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,366, dated July 1, 1890.

Application led March 13, 1890. Serial No. 343,775. (No model.) 'i

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM LANG, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Vending Ap? v ondly, a pivoted and spring-actuated dog that engages the delivery-slide and prevents it from being released unless a coin of the proper thickness is inserted; thirdly, a pivoted and spring-actuated wedge-piece that is arranged sidewise of` the dog and adapted to enter the coin opening of the slide-piece whenever a smaller coin is inserted into the coin-opening; fourthly, a receptacle communicating with the coin-opening of the delivery-slide when the same is pushed back, so as to drop the coin, and, lastly, a merchandisedelivery chute by which the merchandise that is taken up by the delivery-slide is conveyed to and delivered at the lower front part of the apparatus, all as will be fully described hereinafter, and finally pointed` out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section of my improved coin-controlled vending apparatus. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical longitudinal sections of the locking device drawn on a larger scale, showing it, respectively, in position for locking the delivery-slide and for clearing it when a coin of the proper size is inserted. Fig. 4t is a vertical transverse section on the line 5 5, Fig. 5. Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of the looking device, showing it in position before a coin is inserted, and in locked position when a coin of a smaller than the normal size is inserted. Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of a modiiied construction of myimproved vending apparatus, showing a modified construction of the merchandise-chute; and Figs. 8 and 9 are rcspectively a coin-opening and coin of a specitic shape, adapted to be used in connection with the apparatus shown in Fig. 7.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspon ding parts.

Referring tothe drawings, A represents the exterior casing of my im proved coin-controlled vending apparatus, which casing is provided with avertical merchandise-chute B, in which the merchandise to be delivered is placed. This merchandise-chute may be either a single chute, as shown in Fig. l, in which case it is used for delivering tablets of chocolate or other confectionery, or it maybe arranged with a number of merchandise chutes, arranged one back of the other, and Vwhich are open at the lower ends, as shown in Fig. 7, in

which latter case the apparatus is adapted more especially for the Vending of silk and other spools in factories in which a large quantity of spools are used and sold to theA girls at cost-price. Below the lower end of the merchandise-chute B is arranged a delivery-slide O, which is guided in horizontal way's a a of the casing A and provided with an opening b, that registers or corresponds with the lower end of the merchandise-chute B, so that a piece of merchandise is delivered into said opening when the same is vertically below the mouth of the merchandise-chute B. In the lower front part of the casingAis arranged a coin-receptacle D, and back of the same an inclined chute E, which extends from the rear part of the casing A to the lower front part of the same, so as to form a delivery-chute for the merchandise dropped when the delivery-slide C is pushed inwardly.

The delivery-slide C is provided with a longitudinal groove or depression d and with a coin recess or opening d about midway of said longitudinal groove d. That portion of the groove d back of the coin-opening d is of lesser depth than that part of the groove d in front of the coin-opening d', for the purpose of permitting the use of coins of the same denomination, but of different thickness, as is, for instance, the case in different issues of the one-cent and five-cent pieces.

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The front end of the delivery-slide C is provided with a handle C, which serves for pushing the delivery-slide in backward direction and returning it into its normal position. (Shown in Figs. l and 5.)

To t-he ears of the upper front wall of the casing A, above the longitudinal groove d of the delivery-slide C, is pivoted a spring-actuated dog C2, the lower inclined end of which moves in said longitudinal groove d and serves to arrest the backward motion. of the deliveryslide C by dropping into the coin-opening and engaging thereby the delivery-slide C, as shown in Fig. 2, Whenever the same is to be pushed in without placing a coin into the coinopening d. Sidewise of the delivery-slide C is arranged in a recess e at the top of the front part of the casing A a pivoted dog C3, that is provided'with a beveled edge, said dog being acted upon by a spring e', so as to be forced inwardly into the coin-opening d whenever either a coin of smaller than the required size or a blank of pasteboard or other soft material is placed into the coin recess or opening d@ For this purpose the coin-opening d is placed near one edge of the slide-piece C, so as to communicate with'a portion of its circumference with the recess e, so as to permit the entering of said dog when a smaller coin or token or a pastcboard blank is placed into the coin-opening of the slide with a view to produce the operation of the apparatus thereby. The vertically-operated dog C2, as well as the laterally-movable dog C3, are inclosed by a suitable boX C4, so as to be entirely out of sight and not accessible, said box serving as a protection for the dogs, so as to prevent tampering with the same.

In front of the guard-box CA1 is arranged,at right angles to the delivery-slide C, a lateral groove f,which is in line with the side recess of t-he coin-opening d when the delivery-slide is inv normal position. The lateral groove f permits the introduction of a knife-blade, pin, or other device, so that a coin of smallersize or greater thickness which has been inserted by mistake into the coin-opening can be removed again by the ownerwhen the apparatus is not opened and no article of merchandise delivered therefrom.

For operating the vending apparatus a coin of the proper size, which iits exactly into the coin-opening CZ and is of equal. thickness with that part of lthe delivery-slide immediately in front or back of the same, is dropped in the coin-opening d', and the delivery-slide then moved in backward directionthat is to say, pushed into the casing A-so as to move the merchandise, which is at the time in the inner recess b of the delivery-slide,in backward direction and drop it into the inclined deliverychute, along which it slides to the deliveryopening at the lower front part of the casing A, Where it is removed by the owner. When the coin in the delivery-slide C arrives over a corresponding opening d2 in the top part of the casing A, it is dropped through said openi chandise into the delivery-chute.

ing and stored insaid receptacle D. Then a coin of the proper thickness is used, the vertical dog C2 passes from the rear part of the longitudinal groove d over the coin into the front part of the groove, where the deliveryslide is of less thickness, without stopping the delivery-slide, which is thereby enabled to pass back of the dog C2 and drop the nier- Then a coin or token of greater thickness is inserted into the coin-opening, the same abuts either against a stop d3 of the casing C4 or against the dog C2, so that the backward movement v of the delivery-slide and thereby the operation of the apparatus is prevented. Then acoin of smaller diameter is dropped into the coin-opening of the delivery-slide, the laterally-swinging dog Cs is called into operation, the same being forced sidewise into the coin-opening, so as to prevent the further backward movement of the deliveryslide C, as shown in Fig. 6, where a smaller coin is shown. Then a pasteboard blank is dropped into the coin-recess d', the'beveled or knife edge of the dog C3 enters or cuts into the pasteboard blank and locks the l delivery-slide and prevents it from being pushed in. The front stop d3 of the casing GL acts also as a protection for the verticallypivoted dog C2 as the stop enters into the rear part of the groove d, and prevents thereby the insertion of a blade or other thin instrument, by which the lifting of the dog C2 and the backward pushing of the delivery-slide C may be produced.

` Then the vending apparatus is used for selling spool cotton or silk in clothing or other l'factories where the girls have to buy their own spools, the laterally-swinging dog C3 is dispensed with. In this case the verticallypivoted dog is used in connection with the 'delivery-slide C, and with a token of any suitable arbitrary configuration, as shown in Fig. 9. This token is placed into a coin-recess of corresponding shape, so as to permit the spring-actuated dog C2 to pass over said token and enable the delivery-slide to deliver a spool from one of the series of merchandisey chutes B arranged in the casing A, as shown in Fig. 7. The tokens are dropped into a re` ceptacle D in the same manner as the coins in the apparatus shown in Fig. l. The delivery-slide Chis provided with a drop-chute b of the size of the bottom opening of the merchandise-chute. When all the spools in i the spool-chute near adjacent the rear side of the casing are delivered, the next chute delivers its spools to the drop-chute b of the 'l delivery-slide, and so on, one chute after the other until all the spools from all the chutes are delivered. In this case a gu-ideway B is arranged below the chutes B, the opening for dropping the spool being arranged back of the rear end of said guideway, where it connects with the delivery-chute.

If an apparatus of the kind described is put up on each floor of a factory, the girls can ICO IIO

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buy the token in the oice and obtain the spools whenever they require the same without the attendance of a clerk or other employ.

Having thus described 1nyinvention,I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. The combination of a merchandise-chute, a delivery-slide guided in ways below the same and provided with an opening for the merchandise below the chute and with a second or coin opening, and a spring-actuated dog sliding on the top part of the deliveryslide and permitting the backward motion of the same when a coin of the proper thickness is placed into the coin-opening, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a merchandise-chute, a delivery-slide having an opening corresponding with the bottom opening of the merchandise-chute, a coin-opening in the front part of the slide, and a longitudinal groove extending at both sides of the coin-opening, and a pivoted and spring-actuated dog that engages the longitudinal groove of the delivery-slide, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a series of merchandise-chutes, a delivery-slide having an opening correspondingin size with the bottom opening of said chute, and a coin-recess in the front part of the side, and a spring-actuated locking-dog pressing on said deliveryslide, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a merchandisechute, a delivery-slide guided in Ways below the saine, said delivery-slide being provided with an opening corresponding in size with the bottom opening of said chute, and a secchannel communicating with the side recess' of the coin-opening, so as to permit the removing of coins of smaller size or greater thickness than the required size which are inserted into the coin-opening, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a merchandise-chute, a delivery-slide below thesanie, said deliveryslide having an opening corresponding in size with the bottom opening of said chute, a sec- 'ond or coin opening and a longitudinal groove extending at both sides of the coin-opening, a pivoted and spring-actuated dog engaging said groove, and a casing inclosing said dog and provided with a guard-stop engaging the longitudinal groove of the delivery-slide, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM LANG.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, W. REIMHERR. 

